MULTIMEDIA MAGAZINE APRIL 2012 Nº 18
“Ikusi was the only supplier that asked – What would you like us to produce for you?”
Discover our new products in http://www.youtube.com/IkusiTV
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Tele Healthcare, a clear and well defined philosophy
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Ikusi... I have a question
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New FLASHD antenna: wins prize at the Smile Festival
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Interview with Derrick Walker, Managing Director of Teldis
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3D Television, the future is already here
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BER vs VER in DVB-S2
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Ikusi takes part in the most important fairs in the sector
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Interview with Derrick Walker, Managing Director of Teldis, Ikusi distributor in the UK.
Win an iPad by seeing for yourself how easy the new FLASHD antenna is to install. Simply send us a video. We want users to carry on learning about the new FLASHD antenna in the most pleasant way possible, which is why we have decided to organise a video competition. Videos lasting no more than one minute should show the main features of this new antenna developed by Ikusi in an entertaining and original manner, focusing on its automatic fastening system, quick assembly and easy and safe installation.
To take part, upload your video throughout June to www.concursoflashd.com. A panel will choose the winner of a new iPad from among the videos sent in, all of which can be seen at www.youtube.com/concursoflashd. For further details go to www.concursoflashd.com.
Digital quality pictures installing Mac digital modulators
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Tele Healthcare, a clear and well defined philosophy interview with...
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The main objective of Tele Healthcare is to care for people with the provision of technology products and services that enable any one requiring support and reassurance, such as the new developments in Ikusi elderly, chronically infirm or those with special needs, to lead an independent life. Teldis has been a supplier to Tele Healthcare for more than 20 years and during that time has supplied over a thousand SZB440 series analogue modulators (to a customer specific forfuture mat) for the purpose of viewing pictures from door entry telephone and security cameras directly through the residents’ televisions.
Teldis understood that the elderly and infirm were likely to be the most disadvantaged in this digital/ analogue world and were quick to see the potential of a digital modulator that incorporated the existent video and audio input signals allowing all the existing analogue cameras to be retained and only when necessary replaced in the future. As the Switchover has gained momentum so has the requirement for the modulator. Tele Healthcare has installed and maintained Ikusi presence hundreds of networks over the years and the
This simple requirement serves an important purpose allowing residents to view visitors who have called their apartment number without havingdidtoyou leave seated position whilst knowtheir that...? watching television. This is especially important if the resident is elderly or infirm. If the visitor is unknown or suspicious, the resident can immediately contact a warden or estate manager via the Warden Call system who will investigate on their behalf. This is a welcome reassurance to the residents of these our clients speak popular new retirement communities referred to as Sheltered Housing. Tele Healthcare were quick to realise that as the Digital Switchover began in the UK it would be more difficult for residents in these communities to access the in-house analogue pictures once the digital services had arrived.
switchover to digital is now in full swing. This is only the beginning. The simple television has now become a communications portal for all manner of services that can be offered both now and in the future using the Ikusi MAC range of products. Tele Healthcare, the United Kingdom’s foremost Tele Healthcare specialists lead the way in Britain, pointing the way forward for others to follow in Europe and around the world.
“The simple television has now become a communications portal for all manner of services that can be offered both now and in the future using the Ikusi MAC range of products.”
In a digital world, we are all told, you must press reference installation the ‘guide’ button on your TV remote control. Everything is there, or is it?
Ikusi solutions
Ikusi... I have a question
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I am having difficulty loading three MAC-401 outputs onto the same network. The first units output appears in the EPG the other units do not load successfully.
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A conflict could exist between the network time & the time stamp generated by the MAC-201, use the advanced network management settings option to set the TDT-TOT insertion to off .This will remove the time stamp & avoid any possible conflict with the network time.
Make sure you are using three separate RF channels & change problem solved the SID in each service to run consecutively. Navigate to the service management tab & click the edit service SID to change the settings. This will avoid any service conflicts & allow all of the services to load.
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LCN are not setting correctly on certain manufacturers IDTV’s interview with...
Check the NIT LCN Mode is set to Independent Television Commission (UK) this is enabled in the advanced network management tab. Also set the ONID to 9018 & the NID to 12300 or greater for UK Network compatibility.
The real time clock on my receiver is different to the network time after adding a MAC-201 to my network.
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I have five MTI-800 linked via IKUSUP all the input services are selected but only the first modules LCN are loaded into the EPG when the receiver scans for services. The NIT table needs to contain all of the selected services. Check the first module is configured as control module (option 1 in TS processing menu) & also set as the first RF output channel. Restart the modules & rescan the receiver to load the LCN’s correctly.
new developments in Ikusi Paul Lucas,
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Chief Engineer in Teldis, Ikusi distributor in the UK
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Four Seasons Hotel: digital quality pictures installing the MAC range Ikusi... I have a question
With the introduction of digital televisions in hotels, the guests have demanded high quality television pictures problem solvedon all channels, including those premium channels that may have been neglected following a digital antenna headend upgrade.
Ikusi solutions
ing those premium channels to provide a single digital television channel map. Hotel guests have been spared from destroying the remote control, all at a price the hotel is likely to find acceptable without downgrading shampoo.
“Picture quality is superb with no discernable differences from the standard digital terrestrial channels.” interview with...
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Hotel guests from far and wide are expected new developments in Ikusi to search the unfamiliar remote control for the D/A button to switch from digital to analogue to watch those traditionally modulated premium channels.
To ensure high quality pictures with ease of television use, Techlive International have been future 201’s and MAC 401’s within the installing MAC hotel environment to digitally modulate audio video signals from a number of sources includ-
The Four Seasons Hotel Hampshire has recently been upgraded with new televisions in all guest rooms and have benefitted from the installation of MAC digital modulators at their antenna headend modulating premium satellite programmes to complement the Freeview digital terrestrial and satellite converted channel line-up.
headend was trouble free and the ability to set signal parameters easily through the onboard web browser saves time and is a popular feature with our technicians. Picture quality is superb with no discernable differences from the standard digital terrestrial channels. The Four Seasons Hotel is delighted with their television service and guests can now enjoy digital quality pictures on all channels at the press of a single button.
Ikusi presence
The installation consists of three MAC 401’s and one MAC 201. Integration into the antenna
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The promotional video for Ikusi’s new FLASHD antenna wins a prize at the Smile Festival our clients speak
The Smile Festival, European Festival of Advertising and Humour, awarded the prize for Best Interactive Campaign to Ikusi for the promotional video of its new FLASHD antenna. The advert uses humour to explain some of the most outstanding features of the antenna, such as its automatic clamp and the possibility of installing it with just one hand. This prize recognises Ikusi’s new way of approaching the promotion of some of its multimedia products. This approach is based on an increased use of new communication platforms like YouTube, without overlooking more traditional formulas such as advertisements in trade magazines.
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The second Smile Festival was held this year at the Academy of Film Art and Science in Madrid with the participation of Spain’s leading advertising agencies and top international companies. The ceremony paid homage to creativity, effectiveness and, above all, a good sense of humour in a range of categories.
The second promotional video for the FLASHD antenna is now online. The advertising campaign to publicise the advantages of the new FLASHD antenna continues to move forward. A new video is now available on Ikusi’s YouTube channel. This one also adopts a humorous approach to demonstrate, once again, the ease, speed and safe assembly of the Ikusi-patented automatic clamp on the antenna.
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“Ikusi was the only supplier that asked a different question – What would you like us to produce for you?” new developments in Ikusi
Interview with Derrick Walker, Managing Director of Teldis future
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our clients speak
The United Kingdom is still in the process but is nearing the end of the Digital Switchover, how did Ikusi help you here? The UK is now in the final throes of the Digital Switchover with just the London area due to complete in April and finalising with Northern Ireland in October 2012. Our experience of the Digital Switchover and Analogue switch off began in October 2007 and progressed from area to area in a very controlled way. The controlling body is Digital UK Limited which was incorporated as a company in 2005 with their raison d’être as “achieving the digital rollout, coordinating the planning and technical rollout of a high power Digital Terrestrial (DTT) Network, region by region, to a timetable set by the Government and which spans the years 2008 to 2012, communicating the message”. They have so far achieved this with very few problems and with very little help from any installers, distributors or suppliers. What were the main products the UK market required prior to the Analogue switch off? This is an interesting question which at first sight one might answer – “None”. However the UK market in this respect is quite different from the rest of Europe. We have always had an exceptionally good terrestrial TV broadcast platform with 60+ main transmitters and more than 1,000 infill transmitters. The UK coverage was 98.5% with analogue and will remain
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Ikusi presence
at 98.5% with Digital when the process is over and digital levels are increased. The Freeview terrestrial platform has more than 100 services compared with the pre-existing analogue 5 channel network. During the analogue era domestic viewers added satellite channels and cameras modulated in PAL I onto their systems. TV distribution systems in hotels and other commercial situations also have additional analogue channels. All of these now have to be replicated in digital. We mentioned this requirement to Ikusi around July 2009 and we were testing the pre-production samples of the MAC-201 by May 2010. We were therefore very excited that Ikusi has managed to come up with this great product. In fact, not only one product but a family of products with MAC-401 and MAC-Home appearing more recently. This is now our best and fastest moving range of products. Other than the MAC modulators what do you consider are Ikusi’s most valued products? From a British standpoint the currently most used products are the MAC range and Class A Head ends for systems use. The Class A processors (TPC and TGT) are useful for Hotels, Hospitals, Prisons, Football Stadia and Holiday Parks. Surprisingly, Travel and Savannah iPacks have also become popular of late simply because certain projects still require analogue channels as they are retaining the CRT television receivers past the switchover period. The Analogue switch off means a significant increase in activity for the sector. When this process is finished where do you expect future growth within the industry? In our case the Analogue switch off has not meant a significant increase in business. I will explain. In the UK 80% of the population lives in a single domestic household whilst 20% lives in apartments or flats within high or low rise apartment blocks. These blocks were originally served by MATV systems with loop-wired outlets. Since 1995, BSkyB has been working with system suppliers and installers to modify all these systems into multiswitch systems which had to be installed as a star network. Much of this work
was done between 1997 and 2007 and relatively little has been required since the switch-over period started. We are expecting a small flurry of activity when Crystal Palace (the London transmitter) switches over as there are bound to be many small systems that have yet to be dealt with. The 80% who live in detached or terraced houses have a domestic TV aerial with or without an amplifier, and/or small satellite dish. All that was needed was to replace the televisions or purchase DTT set top boxes. No extra business here for us! In fact the future holds immense promise within the UK and I expect for the rest of Europe as LTE (Long Term Evolution) transmitters for the 4G mobile internet platform start to be installed in 2013. This new network means many high power transmitters every 3-4 kilometres in urban areas which will be received by the many domestic TV aerials. We expect 3 million or so domestic TVs will require filters or even a change of platform in order to rectify the associated problems. WSD’s (White Space Devices) will also cause problems as they become deployed and both systems and domestic households will require higher screening efficiencies to ensure interference free operation. Ikusi and Teldis have maintained a fruitful relationship for over 20 years. How do you expect the relationship will continue in the future? The UK has been at the forefront of the digital age with much of the development work conducted in Cambridge (our own Silicon Valley) during the early years. This has given Teldis the opportunity to discuss new requirements with our suppliers. Most suppliers opened their catalogues and asked the question – “What would you like to buy?” Ikusi was the only supplier that asked a different question – “What would you like us to produce for you?” We found this to be an extremely refreshing approach and we now know the route through for all our requirements concerning the future of our industry. The future is in our own hands and with the most valued help of Ikusi we will certainly have a future in the future.
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Javier Larzabal, our clients speak Product Manager at Ikusi The term 3D TV is already in common use and supply in this format is growing. Logically, the emission and reception of 3D images has peculiarities with respect to 2D format. Therefore, you may want to begin by describing what is meant by 3D TV. We actually use the term 3D to refer to a twodimensional image with a sense of depth. This effect is obtained using two different images, each directed at a different eye (right or left). The brain processes the two images, creating the effect of a sense of depth on what is really a flat surface (in this case, the TV screen). This is known as stereoscopic television. But, how are different images sent to different eyes? There are several methods, most of which are based on combining the images with glasses. The first of these – which most people will be familiar with – is the use of glasses with different coloured lens (typically red and blue); these are called anaglyphs. These techniques were developed in 1950s film and are based on two slightly offset, colourfiltered images. When we look through glasses with lenses of these colours, each eye sees only the image intended for it. Anaglyphs are of limited quality and pose colour degradation problems because of the method used to make them. The techniques used today are of a much higher quality but still based on a conceptually similar principle to anaglyphs. In the case of passive polarised glasses, each of the lines that form the image is broadcast with a differ-
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Ikusi presence
3D Television, the future is already here ent polarisation. The glasses can filter this polarisation, directing all even lines to one eye and all odd ones to the other. The image formed by the even lines is different to that formed by the odd lines. Thus, the brain has two different images to process, which is how the 3D effect is obtained. In the case of active LCD lenses, glasses with LCD lenses are used that are synchronised to the television set. The glasses alternately darken over each eye, so the television sequentially displays a different image to each eye. This is done at high speed, so the eye does not notice the blocking effect. These glasses require more complex electronics than passive ones, so they are heavier and, since they are active, their battery needs recharging every so often.
The peculiarities of 3D broadcast 3D broadcasting requires the transmission of two different images (which necessitates double the bandwidth). To ensure maximum compatibility – as far as broadcasting systems are concerned – efforts have been made to standardise these transmissions on the basis of existing broadcasting formats. The DVB consortium has set down this standardisation in regulation TS101547. This regulation essentially describes two broadcasting methods: • Side by Side (SbS) • Top and Bottom (TaB) In a SbS broadcast, each transmitted image is actually cut in half (horizontally), so two images are sent. The television then generates two
“We actually use the term 3D to refer to a two-dimensional image with a sense of depth.” Finally, over the last couple of years, autostereoscopic methods have also emerged that do away with the need for glasses. The screens on these types of television have a semicylindrical lens in front of alternate pixel columns, which allows them to direct the image formed by each column to a different eye. This method has the advantage that glasses are not required but it only works if the viewer is positioned in certain spots in front of the TV.
complete images from this broadcasted image. The one corresponding to one half of the original is sent to the left eye and the other half is sent to the right eye. TaB broadcasts also divide the image in two, albeit this time vertically. The television then rebuilds two images: the one obtained from the upper half is delivered to one eye, while the bottom half is sent to the other eye. There are other methods too, but they all require the recipient to be able to interpret the 3D content in order to generate a stereoscopic image.
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BER vs PER in DVB-T2 Ikusi solutions our clients speak
“Both BER and PER are measures which allow the quality of the digital signal to be assessed.� In order to understand the relationship between these two values and why one or the other is chosen, firstly it is necessary to describe what FEC is. FEC stands for Forward Error Correction. Basically it consists of algorithms which, through the transmission of redundant data launching (which, since they are redundant, consume bandwidth but do not provide any additional information), allow a receiver to correct errors generated during the propagation of the signal. The FEC algorithms traditionally used in DVBS and DVB-T are the Viterbi algorithm and the Reed Solomon algorithm (both concatenated one after the other). With the development of
the new DVB-S2/DVB-T2 standards, the FEC algorithms have been reviewed using new generation systems (concatenation of LDCP and BCH): BER: Bit Error Rate. Number of bits affected by errors in transmission compared to the total bits received. PER: Packet Error Rate. Number of packets (TS packets of 188 bytes in size) affected by errors, measured after correcting as far as possible with the FEC and the total number of packets received.
Both BER and PER are measures which allow the quality of the digital signal to be assessed. In traditional transmission systems (DVB-S and DVB-T), BER is usually used as a measure of signal quality. However, with the latest trends associated with the launch of the DVB-T2, BER is once again being commonly used, measured after correction of the signal by the LDPC algorithm, and before the BCH comes into operation. In any case, in order to determine the recommended BER in DVB-T2 reception we must take into account that the post-LDPC BER required is a maximum of 1e7. Similarly, it is recommended to remain at least 5 dB from the limit point (the point at which, with 0.2 dB, there is a change from 1e-7 to 1e-1). Juan Cruz Iturralde, R&D Technician at Ikusi
Ikusi presence
Ikusi Takes Part in the Most Important Fairs in the Sector Ikusi is taking part in the most important multimedia fairs in order to present its proposals directly to the market. The next event is to be held from 12th to 14th June in Cologne, in a new edition of Anga. Professionals from Ikusi will be in attendance to receive visitors at Hall 10.2, stand G36. Ikusi has attended other important international events prior to this fair, such as the CSTB fair in Moscow from 7th to 9th February. This event is particularly important since Russia has initiated its process towards television digitalisation, which the Russian Communications Ministry envisages will conclude in 2015. Amongst the different proposals made by Ikusi at the 14th edition of this fair are its freestanding modulator for individual homes, Mac Home, and the SHC and THF trans-modulators. Ikusi at Cabsat 2012 Ikusi has exhibited regularly at Cabsat, clearly showing the importance the Company gives to this event, which focuses on markets in the Middle East. Ikusi has been present in this area for many years and has its own subsidiary in Dubai. i-news
Ikusi, as a multinational company which is fully aware of the specific characteristics of all the geographical areas in which it operates, attended this new edition of Cabsat with an offer specially designed to cover the needs of businesses in the region. To this end, from amongst its wide range of equipment for the capture and distribution of TV signals, it selected the integrated IPTV solutions and the digital technology solution. Ikusi’s proposal for this new edition of Cabsat was rounded off with two new families of multiswitches: Stand Alone and Cascadable. Both of these are active multiswitches which mean the same signal level can be guaranteed for any building level with a single piece of equipment, thus reducing the number of references and, in consequence, the stock requirements of customers, whilst also making the design of complex installations much more straightforward.
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New range of Active Multiswitches Stand Alone and Cascadable
A single model for all levels (depending of number of inputs)
External power supply
HEADQUARTERS SPAIN ﾂｷ IKUSI - ﾃ］gel Iglesias S.A. ﾂｷ Tel.: +34 943 44 88 00 ﾂｷ television@ikusi.com